Lost in the Shadows
by Firestorm2004
Summary: (On Hold) When Kaito disappears one day after a heist and Kaitou Kid retires, Aoko decides to find help from the famous sleeping Kogoro. Will Aoko, Hakuba, Akako along with Ran and Conan be able to find the thief? Rating for later chapters.
1. Prologue

Lost in the Shadows

AN: This idea just hit me in the head one day and refused to leave me alone until I wrote it down. Once it was written, I might was well post it. For all of you who are waiting for me to finish my other story "Afterlife," I promise to have it done soon. If you haven't read my other story, I suggest you do. It isn't a prequel to this story, but does help explain the Magic Kaitou group for anyone who doesn't know who they are.

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaitou.

Prologue

Aoko looked at the empty desk next to her. It had been 3 days since her best friend had disappeared. No one knew what had happened, not even his own mother. She still remembered that night. The day that he'd disappeared. Her father had been at a heist the previous night and it had gone terribly wrong...

**Kaitou Kid laughed as he dodged the taskforce. As usual, Inspector Nakamori let out some words that made the best insulter look like a 5 year-old. Kid laughed again, making the inspector shout even more descriptive words about what he was going to do with Kid.**

"**Nakamori-keibu, if you keep talking like that, you'll make the earth uninhabitable." Remarked Kid, as he rounded the corner. **

"**GET BACK HERE!" The inspector roared as he followed him the thief.**

**As the inspector rounded the corner, he heard a gun shot and his heart stopped cold. In front of the policeman, Kid tripped and fell. **

"**KID!" Nakamori shouted. He didn't like anyone interfering with the heists. Killing the Kaitou Kid was definitely way out in left field. **

**The inspector ran to his side, only to find Kid sitting up, clutching his arm. The bullet hadn't gone through the bone but it wasn't a pretty sight. He quickly ripped his shirt to bandage the Kaitou. He'd rather have Kid escape than for him to capture Kid because he was injured, and very badly at that. It just wouldn't be fair to take advantage of the fact that someone else had brought Kid down.**

"**Nakamori-keibu, Get out of here right now!" Kid shouted at him. **

**_What the hell?_ The inspector thought.**

"**GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!" Kid shouted again, pushing the inspector away. "If you ever want to see Aoko again, get out of here."**

**The thief's words stung into the inspector's heart long enough for Kid to stand up and jump out a window, activating his glider. More shots could be heard, and Kid jerked as he flew away. No one knew if he'd survived or not. **

_**Next day...**_

"**HE'S ALIVE! THE $(&#($ING KID'S ALIVE!" Nakamori's voice rang through the police station, sounding strangely happy.**

**Most of the wise and seasoned police officers gave him a wide berth, but one of the newbies decided to find out what it was this time.**

"**Nakamori-san? What did he write this time?" The unlucky officer asked him as he walked into Nakamori's office.**

"**The Kid left a note saying that he's doing another heist tonight, but this time there's no riddle to solve and he says he has an announcement." The inspector, for once, wasn't angry. Instead, he was surprised and a little worried. **

"**Does that mean it may not be the same one?" **

"**No it's the same. He left a note about something that only he and I would know about to make sure I knew it was him."**

"**Ah, I see. Shall I get the listened and have him get ready for the heist?"**

"**Yeah, tell him this time it's at the Tokyo New Arts Museum. It's set for 6 p.m. tonight." **

**The newbie bowed, turned around and walked out. Meanwhile, the inspector went over the other clue left by the thief. **

**_What did he mean by 'One last call'?_ He asked himself. _And why did he use Aoko's name, the same way as he said it last night, as the password to let me know it's him?_**

_**That night...**_

**All the policemen were on their guard. Something wasn't right, and they could tell. For one, not once since he had received the note, did Inspector Nakamori curse the Kaitou Kid. Also, Kid didn't give them a riddle to solve, and instead said he had an announcement to make and where to be to hear it. That wasn't like the Kid at all. They weren't even for sure that this was a genuine notice, but Inspector Nakamori still assured them that it was. **

**All of the sudden, a wind came up and most of their hats came off of their head. Looking up to see where they went, they noticed that the Kaitou Kid was standing on the roof, looking down at them. The hats were quickly forgotten.**

"**Gentlemen," he started, his voice very loud. "I'm so glad that you could make it. To let you know, I'm not going to actually steal anything." There were any queried looks at his speech. "Instead, I'm here to make an announcement. I've finally got what I've been looking for, for the past 20 years. The Pandora Gem is mine, and I've destroyed it. Now I go back into retirement. So long Inspector Nakamori, Kaitou Kid Taskforce." He jumped off of the roof and opened his glider. Everyone shouted at him from below as he flew into the sunset, never to be seen again...**

"Nakamori-chan? You alright?" The voice brought Aoko out of her memories, and back into reality.

"Yeah, sorry for making you worried, Hakuba-kun." She responded, not quite listening.

"You're worried about Kuroba-kun." Akako said, her voice filled with sweetness and caring.

"Yeah, just wondering where he is. Why hasn't he tried to get a hold of one of us?" She asked the other two, letting her despair and anger come through. "Why?"

"I don't know, Nakamori-chan, but I'll try to find him." Hakuba told her. He hated to see her like this, for she was collapsing in on herself. _Where ever you are, Kuroba, you need to come back. I don't think that she can handle you being away. Especially when you disappear without a trace, _his mind told the world.

_Far way..._

The boy on the bed tossed and turned in his sleep. He still had nightmares about what had happened a few nights ago.

"AOKO!" He shouted, sitting up suddenly. "Aoko..." he started to sob as he thought about her. "I'm so sorry...I wish I could come back...I need you." He spoke quietly through his tears.

He finished crying, wiping off the tear tracks on his face. He got up, walking over to the window. As he stood there, his finger found the bandage on his arm that protected the wound he'd gotten.

"Aoko, I promise you that I'll come back..." Kuroba Kaito spoke to her, even though she couldn't hear her. "I promise..."

AN: I know this isn't much, but it's needed. Also, thanks to my sister for beta reading my story again. Please review! I'll decide what to do next depending on the reviews!


	2. Cornered

Lost in the Shadows

AN: Sorry it took so long to write this chapter. I had writer's block for the longest time. I do know where this is going, so don't worry about that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaitou. (Yet. Till trying to, though)

Chapter 1 – Cornered

"You sure that this is the place?" Aoko asked her friend.

"Yep. This is where the newspaper said he lived," Akako responded.

Aoko sighed and walked up to the door. She rang the doorbell and stepped back. When it opened, there was a young woman that looked a lot like her.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked.

"Is this where Mouri Kogoro lives?" Aoko asked, a little nervous.

"Yes, but he's not here right now. Do you want to come in?"

Aoko nodded, and so Akako and her followed the girl inside. When they were inside, she was greeted to the sight of a young boy, who looked a lot like Kaito when he was 8 years old.

"Ran-neechan? Who are they?" the boy asked, sounding confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mouri Ran and this is Edogawa Conan," the girl told them, bowing to them.

"I'm Nakamori Aoko and this is Koizumi Akako," Aoko told them, bowing back.

Ran smiled. "So what brought you here to request the services of my dad?"

"My best friend, Kuroba Kaito, is missing. He's not been seen for three days," Aoko told her, holding up the latest picture of Kaito she had. "He disappeared after the last Kid heist."

_Ah, Kaito-kun. Something happened that night, didn't it, _Conan thought to himself. _I don't think that the Kaitou the next night was you. He acted close enough that most were fooled, but he wasn't you. I know. Where are you? You always talked about how you would always come back to Nakamori-san, so why did you disappear?_

"Let me see, Ran-neechan," Conan complained, acting like a little kid while jumping up and down to have a look.

"Wow! Kuroba-san looks a lot like Shinichi does. He just as baggier hair," Ran commented, looking at the photo. Ran finished and gave it to Conan. "I don't know much about detective work, but maybe Conan-kun can help you. He helps my dad a lot." Ran flashed Conan a smile, who returned it with one of his own grins.

Aoko nodded. "That's fine."

"Where was the last you saw Kuroba-san?" Conan asked, his face changing to deep thought.

"Well, last time I saw him was at school. I'm sure, though, that he did attend the heist that night. He is always at them," Aoko answered, a little startled that the small boy would ask such a direct question. Apparently, this was the usual, for Ran made no comment about it.

"I see. Who was the last one who saw Kuroba-san before the actual heist?"

"Um, I really don't know. His mom, I guess."

"Wait a moment," Ran interjected. "Wasn't that the night that Kaitou Kid was shot? And the next night he retired?"

"Yes," Aoko said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Kaito didn't come to school the next day, and so afterwards, I went to his house. I found his mother in tears. She told me he hadn't returned from the heist the previous night."

"Hmm..." Conan pondered this information. "Do you know any place he might have gone?"

Aoko shook her head, her tears starting to lightly come down. "No one knows any place that we haven't already checked. He's just...just gone!" Her tears soon become a river and Akako walked over to her, hugging her.

Ran could feel her own tears starting to well up from Aoko's pain. "I don't know if this will help, but I know how you feel. Shinichi just disappeared one day and didn't let me know for a long time. I still don't know where he is and it hurts."

_Why do I always seem to make her cry? _Conan silently cursed himself as he watched Ran. _No matter what I do, she always cries._

The three girls had a make shift crying session in Ran's living room that lasted a few moments. Soon, the tears were dry and they proceeded with the discussions.

"Aoko-neechan, is there anything else we need to know about Kuroba-niichan?" Conan asked, looking her in the eye.

For a moment, Aoko felt like he could see right into her soul. Fortunately for her, the feeling passed quickly and she shook her head.

"Well then," Ran said standing up. "I guess that's all we can do. I'll let my father know and if we get any more information, we'll let you know."

Aoko and Akako smiled and walked with Ran to the front door, saying their good-byes. Once they had left, Ran turned to Conan, only to find him putting on his shoes.

"Conan-kun? Where are you going?" she asked. It was eight o'clock at night, too late for a nine year old to be running around.

"I just remembered that I left some of my homework at Agasa-hagasi's. I'll be back in a little bit." He put a big smile on, hoping to fool Ran enough to let him go.

"Okay, but don't take to long."

Conan smiled and ran out the door. Instead of heading over to Agasa's, though, he headed to a nearby phone booth that he knew very well. After depositing the required coins, he quickly dialed a number that he knew very well.

Ring...Ring...Ring... 

Ran walked over and picked up the phone. "Hello, Mouri Detective Ag..."

"Ran, it's me."

"Shinichi? What're you calling so late before?"

"I'm sorry. I just need for you to do me a favor."

"What?" This wasn't the usual Shinichi behavior. He hardly every liked it when he needed someone to do him a favor.

"Don't tell your dad about Kuroba Kaito."

That shocked her really bad. How did he know about Kuroba-san? "Shinichi, how do you know about that?"

"Conan-kun is over at the professor's. He rambled on about the case to Agasa-san and when Agasa-san realized what had happened, he immediately called me. I'm asking you not to let your father in one this case."

"Why? Are you afraid that he'll solve it when you can't?" she teased.

"No." The response was quick and direct, surprising her. Shinichi almost never acted like this. "This is one case he won't be able to solve. I've been working on a similar one for the past year and a half. If you dad gets mixed up in this case, he or you could be injured or killed. I don't want that to happen." Shinichi sounded almost desperate, which was also unusual for him. "Please, don't tell him."

"Alright, but under one condition: You tell me what is really going on."

"What do you mean by that?" Conan could feel his fear starting to rise. She couldn't know that he was him, could she?

"There is no way that Conan-kun could have gotten over there, told the professor who then called you and then you called me in under five minutes. JUST WHERE ARE YOU SHINICHI?" She shouted the last part, hoping that that might get his attention.

_Oh SHOOT!!!_ Conan swore in his mind. _I knew I forgot something! So stupid of me! Why now?_

"Um...um...I can't tell you, Ran," he rambled, hoping to come up with something to explain his mistake. Ran didn't give him enough time.

"Shinichi, I'll give you three minutes to get over here, or I'll never speak to you again. I've had enough of the lies."

_She isn't serious, is she? She can't be!_ Conan thought wildly. _Please let her not be serious._

"And if you think I'm kidding, try me. Though I must warn you, you won't like the consequences."

"R...Ran, please don't make me do this."

"You have three minutes, Shinichi. See you then."

Click...bzzz...bzzz 

Ran felt her heart leap into her throat. If this worked to make him return back to her, then it was worth it. Even if it was killing her on the inside, it would be worth the pain. She didn't like leading him on this way, but there was no other way to make him tell her what was going on. She just hoped he'd forgive her afterwards.

_Oh, great. Now what am I supposed to do?_ Conan wondered as he too hung up the phone and walked out of the booth. _I don't think that the phone call was such a great idea now._

AN: What will happen now? Will Ran get Shinichi to tell her his secret? Please, review so that I know how you like it. Thanks a lot for everyone's support. Remember to hit the button down in the bottom left hand corner...yes that one...the one that says 'go' with 'submit review' beside it...press it...good!


	3. Revealed

Lost in the Shadows

AN: Hello everyone again! Sorry for the long wait. Blame it on writer's block, laziness and a hectic college life.

Disclaimer: HELP! HELP! They want to send me to an insane asylum for saying I've met the Conan and Kaitou cast, but don't own them!

Chapter 2 – Revealing

"**R…Ran, please don't make me do this."**

"**You have three minutes, Shinichi. See you then." **

**_Oh, great. Now what am I supposed to do?_ Conan wondered as he too hung up the phone and walked out of the booth. _I don't think that the phone call was such a great idea now._**

Shinichi walked down the road, his heart aching more with every step he took. Only one thought ran through his brain: _Should I tell Ran the truth?_ As usual, the two parts of his brain argued with one another, representing both sides to a conversation he'd had many times before. This time was no different in the results.

_She deserves the truth. I should let her know._

_No! If she knew, they might find out!_

_It won't matter. If I lose her, they might as well find me._

_They won't be satisfied with just your life, you know. They'll get Ran, Hattori, Toyama-san, Agasa-hakase, Ayumi-chan, Genta-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun, Ai-chan, and who knows else. We can't put them in that kind of danger._

_It won't matter if she doesn't want us in her life anymore!_

Shinichi continued to argue with his mind, his brain going over both sides. By the time he reached the apartment where Ran lived, he still hadn't come up with any answer to his problem. Sighing, he slowly pushed open the door and headed in to face the music, certain of Ran's reaction and expedient rejection of both sides of him if she finds out.

-

"Ran-neechan?" Conan stuck his head into Ran's room and looked around for any sign of the missing teenager. His eyes found the curled up form of his girlfriend sitting on her bed. As he walked closer, he could make out the tear trails on her cheeks and hear her heart wrenching sobs. "Ran-neechan? What's wrong?" Conan put his small hands on her chin, forcing her to move her head to look at him.

"Oh, Conan-kun!" Ran cried out, her arms snaking out and wrapping around his small form, pulling him close into a hug. "Oh, Conan-kun, he doesn't care after all."

Conan's mind went into overdrive as he tried to process this information. Who didn't care after all? "Ran-neechan?" Conan spoke into her shoulder, "Who are you talking about? Who doesn't care?"

Ran squeezed him harder and spoke one name; one name he longed for her to say to him; the one name of his true identity: "Shinichi." Ran started crying harder and Conan felt his own shoulder growing wet from her tears.

"Why do you say that, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked her, bewildered by how she was acting. He hadn't gone over the time limit, had he?

"I…I told him…he had five minutes to tell me the truth…" Ran bawled, "and that was 20 minutes ago!"

All of the sudden, things clicked into place for the young detective. The reason for her tears; the reason for her fears; the reason it took so long to find her: she was as terrified of losing him as he was of her. Conan realized he two options left: he could tell her the truth and endanger the rest of them, or he could let her think he didn't care and keep her safe. Either way, she was going to hurt. Either decision, she was going to cry and there is nothing he can do about it. All of his argument and decisions had been reduced to one choice: does he tell her? Thinking about it for a few more moments, listening to Ran's pain and tears, Shinichi came to a decision.

"Ran-neechan," Conan started, not knowing how he wanted to proceed. He finally decided to take the direct approach. "He…he does care for you."

Conan watched the almost instant results. Ran's sobs stopped midway through, though her tears where still flowing. "What did you say?" she asked, not quite sure she heard correctly.

Conan grimaced, but repeated his words. "He does care for you…a lot."

"How…how do you know?"

"Because…" Conan took a deep breath and readied himself. "Because I am him," he finished in a soft voice.

Conan heard her gasp and felt her shaking her head, her tears still dampening his shirt. "No…not possible. It's not possible." Ran pushed him back and looked right into his eyes. "Please…let it not be true."

To Conan, Ran looked lost and afraid. Who wouldn't, after finding out their love is stuck in a body 10 years younger than you are? Especially when you are only 17 year old.

"Kami-sama, please let it not be true! You can't be…what about all the proof I have? What about all the times I saw the two of you together? It just isn't possible!" Ran was bordering on the line of insanity as she tried to deny what her heart and her love were saying was true.

"Ran!" Conan half-shouted, using the voice of authority he always seemed to have when solving a case. A voice type that was unmistakably Shinichi. "I. AM. HIM."

Ran let out a loud wail and pulled Shinichi closer to her. Conan was glad for the fact that Ran's dad was out buying more beer and cigarettes, otherwise he might not have the time to calm her down and explain the situation to her before he came up to see what was wrong with Ran.

"Why, Shinichi? Why?" Ran's tears heavier as she searched for some sort of support from the 7 year old.

"Why did I hide from you? Why did I lie to you? Why am I in this body?" Conan could feel Ran nod. "It's a long story. Do you remember when we went to Tropical Land after you won your karate championship? That was when it all started. Those guys in the black trench coats that were sitting in the back are the ones who did this to me. When I ran off that night, I was chasing one of them. I found him making an illegal deal with someone else. Because I was too engrossed in what he was doing, I never heard the other come up behind me. He hit me over the head and then feed me a pill called Apotoxin 4869. They left me for dead, but instead of killing me, it turned me into a child. I eventually woke up and went over to Agasa-hakase's place to see if he could undo it. He told me that unless we had the original pill, he couldn't do anything. Then you came over looking for me and he convinced me to go with you. You know the rest from there."

"That…that still doesn't explain why you hid from me," Ran mumbled.

Shinichi sighed. "I didn't just hide from you. I hid from everyone. If ANYONE knew who I really was, whether good or bad, those guys could find out. They belong to a HUGE group called the Black Organization. They are a ruthless bunch of criminals. If you find out about them and don't belong, they not only kill you, they kill your parents, your fiancée, your siblings, your aunts and uncles, all your friends, and so on down to your third cousin's dog. What makes it harder, is they make all the killings look like accidents. They are very good at what they do. THAT is why I never told you. I don't want to see you in danger."

"But what about Agasa-hakase? Doesn't he know?"

"Yes, and so do two others."

"TWO OTHERS!" Ran shouted into Conan's ear. "Why did they get to know, when I didn't? Am I not that important to you?"

"Ran, calm down and let me explain. First of all, you meant too much to me for me to have to put you in this kind of situation. Now, you have to watch every single word you say. You have to watch how you act around me. You still have to treat me like your younger brother and not your boyfriend. If you make even one slip, that could be the last mistake you or I ever make." Conan took off his classes and rubbed his nose. "Now, about the other two people who know. One is Hattori." Conan could hear Ran once again gasp. "Yes, he does know and has been a big help. He, though, was an unexpected ally. I never told him. Instead, he figured it out and cornered me about it. You should have seen it. He had me admitting to everything in under seven seconds." Shinichi didn't like to admit how he'd been perfectly set up by the Osakan detective, but he thought Ran needed a laugh.

Sure enough, he could hear Ran's faint chuckling. "You, the great detective of the East, were forced into revealing something in under SEVEN SECONDS!" Ran laughed harder as Shinichi blushed. "Okay…okay…so who's the other one?"

"The only other person who knows is Haibara Ai."

"Wait, little Ai-chan? The one that hangs out with you and the Detective Boys group? The same Haibara Ai?"

"The one and only. And again, I didn't tell her. She's in a similar situation like me. Her real name is Miyano Shiho, and she used to work for the Black Organization. In fact, she's the one created the toxin that shrank me."

Conan felt Ran's grip tighten. "She…she's the one who made that poison that made you like this? How can you stand being around her? OH, NEXT TIME I SEE HER, SHE'S GOING TO REGRET IT!"

Not for the first time, Conan started to worry for Ai's life. "Ran! Calm down! Ai-chan has no loyalty to them. She never did! She was just used by them. They kept her sister hostage to force her to work. When her sister died, she refused to continue to work. They were going to kill her, but she took the Apotoxin instead waiting for them to do what they wanted. Instead of dying like she thought she would, she became what you see today. Now, working with the professor, she's trying to find a cure for both of us." Conan was glad when he felt Ran relax once again.

"So, she's trying to undo what she did. I guess I won't do anything. Don't think I trust her, though."

"Just leave her alone for now. That'll be good enough."

Ran nodded once again. She moved around so she was lying down, pulling Conan with her. "Stay with me tonight, Shinichi. Please?"

Shinichi smiled. "Sure."

-

"Hey, did you hear we get a new transfer student today?"

"Yeah. I hope it's a boy. We need more boyfriends."

"No way! I hope it's a beautiful girl."

Ran looked up at the group that had gathered, talking about the new transfer student. She'd heard about it from Sonoko that morning, but neither of them knew what the person's gender was.

"Come on, Ikan-kun! It's got to be a boy! I swear I saw him. He had brown hair and a cute face. Enough to make anyone fall for him!"

"Now that you mention it, I think I did see him, but it was black hair."

"No, no. It was a dark blue, you know like Akane's from Ranma 1/2."

Ran smiled at that thought. Sonoko was crazy about Ranma. She had every single anime episode on DVD and all 38 manga volumes in mint condition. She'd even 'forced' Ran to watch most of the series. Of course, Ran wasn't complaining. In her opinion, Ranma was pretty cute as a guy. Still, unlike Sonoko, she thought Akane and Ranma belonged together. Sonoko thought Ranma should be with Ukyo.

Ran shook her head and returned to listening to the conversation. As it turned out, it seemed to follow the same train of thought she had.

"I wonder, if we splash him with cold water, will he turn into a girl?"

"Michako-chan! Get real! That only happens in anime. Get your mind out of the Ranma universe and back here to help figure out who the mystery boy is.

"I think he's going to be brown haired, blue eyed and doesn't have a girlfriend."

"If he doesn't have one, I call first dibs!"

"Hey, you already have a boyfriend!"

"So? Who says I can't have another one?"

"Class, please take your seats!" Everyone turned to look at the teacher and noticed the tall, thin, medium blond, green-eyed male standing next to her. Quickly, everyone sat down in their seats.

"Class, please welcome your new classmate," the teacher continued.

"Ohayo. My name is Chikato Atan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ran froze while she studied his face. The face had looked so familiar. Too familiar. _Hey! That's Shinichi's face. Wait a minute, Shinichi is really Conan. Then who is this?_

AN: Well, I've introduced a new character, a new problem and solved an old problem. Not bad for one chapter! Now, I also am very grateful to my beta reader, **Meitantei Mystery** for helping me with my story. It wouldn't be as good with out his help. (Plus they wouldn't get out as fast…) Sorry to say, everyone, but for the next while, I'm not going to be answering the reviews. I'm just getting bogged down with school that I'm barely finding time now to write the actual chapter. So, it was either write the chapters without review responses or don't write period. Sorry! When school calms down, hopefully I'll be able to write responses again! But, I do want to thank the following people for reviewing, just the same!

**Silver Sky Magician**

**magicbulletgirl**

**Sadie Janelle**

**sakunade**

**PRIVATE**

**DcLoVer0x**

**manzanita**

**YumeTakato**

**Fyliwion**

**Kudo**


	4. Despair

Lost in the Shadows

AN: The song I'm using is called, "Time Standing Still", by All American Rejects. I did switch a gender here and there and put it in past tense.

Disclaimer: Run! The clowns are going to eat me for not owning _Detective Conan_!

Chapter 3 – Despair

**"Ohayo. My name is Chikato Atan. It's a pleasure to meet you."**

**Ran froze while she studied his face. The face had looked so familiar. Too familiar. _Hey! That's Shinichi's face. Wait a minute, Shinichi is really Conan. Then who is this?_**

For some reason, Ran didn't believe for one second that Chikato Atan was his real name. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like she'd met him before. Like she knew his real name from somewhere else. She just couldn't remember for the life of her.

Shaking her head, Ran turned her attention back to what the teacher was saying.

"Chikato-san, you can sit by Mouri Ran. She'll help you will any questions you have."

"Ai, sensei." With that said, Atan walked over to the empty desk next to Ran and sat down.

Ran felt herself bristle with anger. That was _Shinichi's_ desk and she didn't want anyone to sit in it. Even if he had been missing for most of the school year and might not ever return. It was still Shinichi's desk and some stranger was taking it over.

"Ohayo, Mouri-san," Atan said to her, bowing slightly. "Hajimemashite."

"Hajimemashite, Chikato-san. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Just getting used to this town. I moved in just last night."

"Really? Where do you live?"

Ran slowly forgot her anger at the young man as they continued to chitchat through class. She was amazed at what she learned about him, but he always seemed a little distant when talking about his home life, his family, or his past. Shrugging her shoulders and chalking it up to not having a fun childhood, Ran kept up with the conversation and soon started realizing she'd just made a new friend. True, it wasn't the best of friends relationship, but it was a start.

-

That night found Aoko sitting on her bed, tears once again forming in her eyes. She was still thinking about her best friend, Kaito. She really missed him and ever since she'd found out that he'd disappeared, she hadn't once gone back to school. Sure, Keiko would come over and try to cheer her up, but no one could seem to break her out of her shell.

The only time that she was able to do something more than sit on her bed and cry was when she went with Akako to talk with the Mouris about finding where Kaito was. Even then, she'd broken down and cried. Now, with no word from them, she felt hope fading away.

_Him and her_

_Life is turned._

_The day I felt you leave_

_I could barely breath_

_Can you hear me scream?_

_O-o-o thrown in all directions_

_You epitome of perfection._

_She's lot her will._

_Time is standing still._

She just sat on her bed, not caring how others saw her. She felt like she couldn't cry anymore when her thoughts returned to the heist the night that Kaito had disappeared. Something about that night seemed out of place. One, she noted absently, was that the Kaitou Kid had actually been hurt, and he'd actually tried protecting her father. For some reason, ever since she'd learned that, she couldn't find it in herself to hate the Kid like she'd done before. Now, it was more like displeasure at what he was doing.

_What was Kaito doing that night?_ She wondered for the millionth time. _Why'd he disappear? Could he not tell I need him?_

_She walks, him, home_

_Now she walks alone_

_The days they turn into years_

_The eyes they drown in tears_

_Can you hear me scream?_

_O-o-o thrown in all directions_

_You epitome of perfection_

_She's lost her will_

_Time is standing still._

Her mind turned back to the mornings when they'd walk together to school. Now, she was scared to head to school, afraid of losing it and breaking down once again. Even when she went out with Akako and sometimes Keiko, if they went somewhere Kaito had been with her, she could feel the tears coming on. She knew the 'brave, headstrong, arrogant, unyielding, self-reliant' Aoko was dead. She'd been dead since the day Kaito went missing. All that was left was a 'weak, tired, hurting, mostly emotional numb' Aoko that could no longer handle everyday life.

If someone had told her before Kaito had left that the disappearance of one person from her life had the power to destroy her completely, she'd have laughed at them before chasing them, threatening to hit them if they didn't quit. Now, she realized somewhat weakly, they would've been completely correct.

The pain from not eating very much was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. In all the years she'd known Kaito, she'd never have guessed that she'd fall in love with the magician. Never would've guessed he'd leave her. Never would've guessed it hurt so much.

_The way we are the way we were_

_(It's just a shadow of what's wrong)_

_The time with you the time is stirred_

_(I love you for so long)_

_The hearts they turn, they turn away_

_(She says don't go, please don't you cry)_

_Love lost was found, night turns to day_

_O-o-o thrown in all directions_

_You epitome of perfection_

_She's lost her will_

_Time is standing still_

_O-o-o- thrown in all directions_

_You epitome of perfection_

_She's lost her will_

_Time is standing still_

_Time is standing still._

Even though it'd only been a week since Kaito'd been removed from her life, it felt like forever. She felt like she didn't want to go on. _After all, _she thought, _who'd care if I too disappeared? Sure, Tousan might be mad for a little while, but once he calmed down, he'd go back to his work. Akako? She was always chasing Kaito. She'd be glad for the removal of competition. She has a better chance at finding him then I do. Hakuba? All he cares about is capturing Kid. Keiko? She'd survive. She does have other friends._

Her thoughts continued on this train until she stopped because her thoughts would always come back to the missing magician. Tonight, she realized, the pain seemed greater than ever before. She found she just couldn't handle it anymore.

Quietly, she got off her bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Passing by her dad's room, she took a quick peek in to see him sound asleep, not understanding what was going to happen very soon.

Aoko smiled as she looked at his still, quiet form. _Sorry, Tousan. The pain is just too much._ She closed the door and continued her trek down the stairs and into the kitchen. Once there, she found the sharpest knife and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind. She turned on the shower to cover up any noise she might make.

Kneeling down on the tile, she took the knife in both hands and turned it toward her. _Sorry, Tousan, Kaito. This is the only way I know to stop the pain. I wish I could tell you how much I love you, Kaito. Please, forgive me,_ she thought as she brought the knife closer.

-

Nakamori Ginzo woke up with a start. He didn't know why, but when he heard the shower running, he immediately knew something was wrong. For one thing, the only other person in the house was his only daughter, Aoko. Another, Aoko didn't take showers at 3am.

He quickly got up, putting on his bathrobe, and ran down the stairs to the bathroom.

"AOKO?" the inspector shouted, trying to be heard over the water. "AOKO, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Hearing no response to his questioning, he pondered over his choices for a few seconds. One, he could leave her alone and wait for her to finish her showers. Two, he could barge in there and possibly embarrass both of them.

_Aoko's been acting strange the past few days. Ever since Kaito disappeared, she's seemed like she wasn't fully there…wasn't fully there…OH NO!_ The inspector, realizing just what his daughter could be doing, steeled his courage and started kicking the door as hard as he could, trying to break in.

After a few seconds of furious kicking, the door gave away and he rushed in. The scene before him made his blood run cold. Before him, Aoko laid crumpled on the ground. Around her was a pool of blood several inches wide. To his scared eyes, her skin seemed a bit too pale.

As the inspector looked around for clues to what happened, his gaze fell upon a knife, still held tightly in her hand and lying by her side.

-

All over the town, people work woke up to a scream that made even the strongest men hold their wives close to them, scared for their safety.

AN: Well now, the story has gotten much more interesting. What do ya think? Review and let me know. I still am very grateful to my beta reader, **Meitantei Mystery**, for his help. I do know where this story is going, and it is going to be a roller coaster ride. I hope everyone will stay on too. Keep guessing who Chikato Atan is. It's interesting to read peoples' guesses. Well, thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter. I hope to see a lot of reviews waiting for me for this chapter. After all, they are very fun to read and, most of the time, helpful. See you soon with the next chapter.

**chibi-luna-chan**

**Sadie Janelle**

**YumeTakato**

**Meitantei Mystery**

**Silver Sky Magician**

**Kudo**

**the amazing spell checker**

**Fyliwion**

**Chinese-freak**

**goldfishlover73**


	5. Revealing

Lost in the Shadows

AN: In some of the reviews, I got the comment that Aoko was OOC. I do not think so. Read on to find out why I say so. Please, do give this a chance before you judge it. Also, I do not know if the drug, _Ginalaton_, exists. I made it up the name for this story.

Disclaimer: MINE! DETECTIVE CONAN IS MINE! BWAHAHAHA! _Author continues laughing as he is hauled off to an insane asylum_.

Chapter 4 – Revealing  


**Aoko laid crumpled on the ground. Around her was a pool of blood several inches wide. To his scared eyes, her skin seemed a bit too pale. **

**As the inspector looked around for clues to what happened, his gaze fell upon a knife, still held tightly in her hand and lying by her side.**

Nakamori Ginzo stared at the cold, bleeding form of his daughter for a few moments, his brain torn between utter confusion and shock. Then, he regained his self quickly when the intelligence he gained from chasing the Kaitou Kid kicked in. Immediately, his hand found the hem of his robe and he ripped it off, tearing it into long strips for bandages. Working harder and faster than he'd ever before, Nakamori wrapped Aoko's stomach as tightly has he could without hurting her too much to stop the blood flow. He was very grateful Aoko was unconscious, for he was sure his actions would be causing her a great deal of pain.

As soon as he finished binding her, he patted his pockets for his cell phone, forgetting he was in his nightclothes. Once he'd realized his mistake, he looked back at Aoko, hesitant to leave her lying on the bathroom floor. After debating for a few seconds, he knelt down and, as gently as he could, lifted his daughter up. As he started to raise her off the floor, something fell out of her pocket, landing on the tile with a bang. He stopped his upward motion to look at the object: Aoko's cell phone. Nakamori quickly brought his leg underneath his daughter to support her as he reached for her phone. Once he had it, he dialed for an ambulance. After hanging up, he took a deep breath. _This day just can't get any worse, can it?_ Nakamori Ginzo wondered.

"Nakamori-san?"

The inspector looked up at the doctor who was standing over him. "How is she?"

"Aoko-san is fine. The blade missed her vitals."

Nakamori let out a sigh of relief at hearing his daughter was going to be alright.

"Nakamori-san, I need to ask you a few questions. Can you please follow me?" The doctor turned and led the police inspector down a hall and into one of the small offices. Gesturing for Nakamori to sit, the doctor went to the other side and sat down in his chair, facing the aging man with a grim look on his face. "Nakamori-san, before now, has your daughter ever shown suicidal tendencies?"

The inspector immediately shook his head. "Never. She was always a bright child, even after her mother died. She was always an active child. She even seemed more outgoing after she meet Kaito-kun."

"Who?"

"Her childhood friend. He's grown into a very nice young man, and quite a magician. Takes after his father."

"Ah." The doctor paused, unsure how to proceed. "Nakamori-san, do you know if your daughter ever did drugs?"

"What? Aoko would never do such things. She even stated it with much force every it was brought up in conversation. She never did anything to show she even might remotely be interesting in such things. Why do you ask?" Nakamori was afraid of getting a response he wouldn't like.

The doctor sighed. "When she came in, we did a regulatory blood test. What surprised us was the concentration of a new type of drug called _Ginalaton_. Normally, a body has about .001 to .003 percent over all. Your daughter, on the other hand, was at about .05 percent."

"Is that bad?"

"That is very bad. _Ginalaton _is a synthetic chemical that affects neuron synapses and chemical transmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine. Imbalances in these neurotransmitters can cause varied affects on a persons thought processes…It seems that your daughter had impaired levels of these chemicals; the drug was stopping their use and degrading them. High concentrations of _Ginalaton_ often affect mental processes and can cause depression. In your daughter's case, where she was already depressed…" the doctor trailed off, the implications of this sentence already known to Nakamori.

"And you're saying this is what made Aoko try to kill herself?"

"Exactly. What bothers me, though, is that a body has many natural built-in inhibitors, regulatory signals to avoid such situations. For this to happen, over 15 of the inhibitors needed to be 'turned off' by a drug. The only drugs that could do this are very hard to find and even harder to buy. They are extremely expensive even on the black market."

"So you're saying someone purposely drugged her in hopes she'd try to commit suicide…or something similar?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If it had succeeded, they would not be in danger, for it would like she chose to do it by her own free will. What makes this even more dangerous is the fact that _Ginalaton_ must be replaced every 3 hours. The body decomposes it fairly quickly, so if she'd died, there would be no trace of any drugs in her system, not even the ones that removed the inhibitors. They are broken down in enzymatic reactions to turn off the inhibitors."

"But why would someone go after Aoko?"

"A possible reason, Nakamori-san…To get at you. Destroy your happiness."

"But who would do such a thing?" Nakamori blinked. It was something he sometimes feared, but still…

"That was where I was hoping you could enlighten me. Nakamori-keibu, the ones who did this are powerful enemies. Who ever they are, they want to hurt you. I suggest having Aoko stay somewhere safe for the next while so you can be free to find the ones responsible for this near tragedy."

Nakamori thought about it for a few moments. Did he know of a place Aoko could go where she'd still be safe, but free to live her life? He couldn't put her up in a Police Safehouse, that'd just damage her more. She needed friends right now to help bring her out of her depression over Kaito's disappearance. _Where to put Aoko? Where to put Aoko? Where to pu…_Nakamori was rambling in his mind when he remembered his daughter mentioning something. _What was it? Oh, yeah. She hired some detective to try to find where Kaito went. Maybe she can stay with him. If I remember correctly, he has a daughter about Aoko's age, so she could have a friend. Also, the detective's daughter is a martial artist too, so she could protect her if needs be._

"Sensei, I've got a place for Aoko to stay. It's with an acquaintance, so I'll have to talk with them first. How long until she can leave?"

"Your daughter won't be ready to leave the hospital for another day."

"Alright. Let me make a few phone calls and I'll get back to you about the place for her to stay. Will she need any special treatment?"

"Only for someone to continually watch her for signs of depression. If it gets bad again, we may need to bring her back."

"Alright. Arigato, sensei."

"Come on in. I want to introduce you to everyone else," told her friend as she opened the door.

"You sure? I'm not positive they'll like me barging in like this," Atan replied. _Especially the squirt. He never liked you bringing home other boys. Gets too jealous if you ask me._

"Oh, they'll be fine. Come on."

"If you're sure…"

"Konichiwa, Ran-neechan," Conan stated as he climbed down the stairs. "What happened? You were supposed to walk home with me."

"Gomen, Conan-kun. I had to stay after to help with a project."

"Ran-neechan, who's your friend?" Conan asked. _It'd better not be another boy trying to get Ran's heart, now that Shinichi has been out of the picture for a while. Especially now that Ran knows who I really am._ Conan turned his full attention to the teenager and looked at him carefully, like he would a suspect. _Hmm…hair may be blond, but it looks like it was dyed. The colors of his eyes aren't their natural color. Contacts. His posture says he's very agile. Hmm…reminds of someone…wait, it couldn't be, could it? His he hiding out because he was found out? Only one way to make sure. Let's see his reaction to this: _"Ran-neechan, has Aoko-oneechan called today?" Conan asked, project pure innocence, something that Ran knew wasn't true.

"Aoko-san? Ran-kun, who's that?" Atan asked.

To the casual eye, Atan's reaction was normal and believable. Unfortunately for him, Conan did not have a casual eye. The Shinichi inside of him could see the slight tense at the mention of Aoko's name.

"Just a friend I've been working with for a little while," Ran asked, puzzled why Conan would bring that up right now. "Well, I'm going to make some snacks. Why don't you two get to know each other while I'm busy?" Ran turned and walked into the kitchen, leaving the two teenagers to look at each other.

Shinichi was sure Kaito didn't know what'd just happened yesterday to Aoko, and decided that he had the right to know what was happening. After looking around to make sure no one was around whom could hear, Shinichi looked at Kaito with no masks, showing him the real Shinichi inside Conan. This was something he did only with people who knew his secret and only when they were alone. "Kaito-kun, we need to talk."

The reaction was what he'd expected. "Kaito-kun? Conan-san, I think you've got be mixed up with someone else," Atan said, his poker face starting to show.

"Drop the act, Kaito-kun. We need to talk, and we need to talk right now. Something happened yesterday that you need to know."

Atan sighed and Conan could see him loosen up, returning to his 'Kaitou Kid' stance: ready for anything, but doing nothing. "What is it, Shinichi-kun?"

"You have to promise not to run off, or expose yourself before I'll tell you. This is very important."

"Alright, you have my word. Now, what's so important you're taking the risk Mouri-kun would find out."

Shinichi smiled. The thief was behind times, something that didn't happen a lot. "Who says I'm taking a risk? It's only a risk when she doesn't know, correct?"

"You're saying she found out?"

"Actually, I told her a few days ago. But that's not what's important. The news I have for you deals with Nakamori-san."

"What about Aoko? What happened?" Kaito looked like he was about ready to take off running to make sure his 'non' girlfriend was okay.

"Yesterday, Nakamori-san was found in her bathroom, bleeding from a knife wound in her stomach. It wasn't deep and missed the vital organs, so she's fine. What makes this unusual is the fact she'd tried to commit suicide."

"Aoko? Suicide? Are you sure?" Kaito couldn't see her becoming that drastic.

"Yes, but not of her own choice. It appears someone has been wanting to hurt Nakamori-keibu and used his daughter to do it. They were drugging her to make her want to kill herself. What makes this worse than any other group is the drugs they used: they're hard to find and extremely expensive."

"Who would do such a thing to Aoko? Nakamori-keibu doesn't have those types of enemies."

"You're right. Nakamori-keibu doesn't, but Kaitou Kid does."

Shinichi watched as realization dawned on Kaito's face. "You're saying they're not after Aoko or her dad, but ME!"

"Yes, isn't that why you disappeared earlier? To protect them?"

"True, but from someone else. I disappeared to protect them from the group that killed my father. Now, I have two big groups after my life and one of them is bringing in innocents."

"You're wrong there. There's not two groups, just one. The same one that killed your father and did this to me."

"So, you're saying because they couldn't find me, they used Aoko to try to flush me out?"

"Exactly. But, with Nakamori-san staying here, they may think a bit more before doing something."

"Wait a minute, what's with Aoko staying here?"

"Yesterday, Nakamori-keibu called and asked if Aoko could stay here for two reasons: One, to protect her; two, to give her someone to talk to about your 'disappearance'. If she's here, the Black Ops will wait for a little bit before doing something. It'll buy us some time."

"I hope you're right, Shinichi-kun. I hope you're right, because where all in more danger now Aoko's staying with you. Keep up your guard."

"You too, Kaito-kun. After all, Nakamori-san won't like it if we bring you back with new lead implants…"

AN: Well, now, does that explain a few things? I hope so. I once again thank my beta reader, _Meitantei Mystery_, profusely for his help. He's the one that gave me all the information about the medical side. (I'm a medical person. I'm a computer person!) Please, review and let me know what you think of the story so far. Thanks for all of your support! The reviewers:

**Meitantei Mystery**

**Crystal Snowflakes**

**Silver Sky Magician**

**Kaito-neechan**

**Fyliwion**

**case-closed-lover-1**

**YumeTakato**

**Stormyrose**

**kudo**


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